The project started initially with survey of the historical village to identify a suitable site for the proposed community centre, and to assess the character defining features of the settlement. The village had a historical communal hall with the clan lineage that traced back to nine hundred years ago during the Song Dynasty (宋朝). Another important building in the village was the five-storey pagoda, Tsui Sing Lau (聚星樓) at the outer perimeter. The pagoda had cornices built in traditional grey brick that became a significant architectural element.

 

The inspiration was taken from the Municipal Orphange designed by Aldo van Eyck who visioned the project was not just a home but something akin to a small city. My design concept tried to capture the traditional oriental architecture with small courtyards dotted around in various spots within the new complex. The courtyards brought in natural ventilation as well as landscaping into the building. This belonged to a salient feature in traditional architecture of the Orient. For facade treatment of the community centre, I had the motif of saw-tooth cornices of the existing pagoda in the village to be adopted for my project. The cornices at the roof eave helped to unite the various building blocks into a wholesome complex. Proposed to face towards the plaza in front of the existing communal hall, the new community centre was envisaged as the future focus for the historical village.